The tourism industry in Kerala has showed its strong character post the devastating floods and it has made an astounding revival, Minister of State for Tourism (Independent Charge), K J Alphons, has said.

“I give emphasis on Kerala Tourism’s ability to recoup after a severe natural calamity as an epitome wherever I go. We bounced back, defeating all the never-seen-before challenges. It gives a positive sign that tourism has regained its vigour post the floods,” he remarked.

The Minister made this observation while inaugurating an exhibition of stalls and pavilions at the tenth edition of Kerala Travel Mart (KTM) at Samudrika and Sagara Convention Centre, Willingdon Island, here on Friday.

He also inaugurated a pavilion on Responsible Tourism, put up by Kerala’s Department of Tourism for the occasion.

With its focus on the Malabar as a core theme, the four-day KTM, which was inaugurated by Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Thursday, emphasised the need to safeguard the ecology of prime destinations and promote Responsible Tourism.

KTM-2018 features 1,600 buyers, one-third of them from 66 foreign countries. Public-private participation is a key feature of the conclave, with participation by delegates from the fields of travel and tourism, hotels and resorts, home-stays, houseboats, Ayurveda centres and cultural organisations.

The mart provides a platform to world-class buyers and sellers to interact and promote businesses, giving a fresh impetus to Kerala’s tourism industry that generates an annual turnover of Rs 34,000 crore and provides employment to 25 lakh people.

KTM, with 325 sellers in 400 stalls, has 1,635 buyers who are top functionaries of firms in the tourism industry within the country and outside. There are 545 foreign buyers from 66 countries, including the US, Russia, Japan, China, Australia and Britain. The number of domestic buyers stands at 1,090.

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